A Darkness of Dragons

Songs of Magic #1

by S.A. Patrick

After playing a forbidden spell-song to save a village from rats, 12-year-old piper Patch Brightwater is thrown in jail. But there he meets Wren – a noble girl under a rat-shaped curse – and together they befriend Barver, a fearsome dracogriff, and set off on a grand adventure filled with sorcerers, dragons, bandits…and one very deadly enemy.

From the depths of the Tiviscan dungeons to the highest peak of Gemspar Mountain, this stunning book reminds us of the soaring joy of adventure, the captivating danger of magic, and of the delight of finding friends in unexpected places.

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Dragons, Childrens, Adventure, Fiction, Magic

416 pages, Paperback

First published September 6, 2018

About the author

S.A. Patrick was born in Northern Ireland. An Oxford mathematics graduate, he spent thirteen years working as a games programmer on the award-winning Total War series before becoming a full-time author. He lives in Cornwall with his wife and two young children. He is the author of A Darkness of Dragons, and (as Seth Patrick) the horror-thriller Reviver trilogy.

Reviews

[Jade Ratley · Rating 4 out of 5]

7.43 on CAWPILE

[Spens (Sphynx Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super fun quest-style adventure! I absolutely LOVE the music-based magic system here and how this is an expansion of the tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelyn. Lots of cool plot twists and turns. The characters are absolutely endearing as well. Things got unexpectedly dark in some parts and the plot was meandering at times, but overall I really enjoyed this book! Looking forward to reading the next one!

[Belles Middle Grade Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was AMAZING! I’m both mad at myself & glad I waited so long to read this! Lol-Mad b/c it’s so good I wish I had read it sooner! Glad b/c now I can dive right into the sequel! You don’t see many retellings of the Pied Piper, usually it’s the more popular ones done a lot(& I love every single kind lol). I think I’ve only read 1 other, so this was already doing a great job being different in that alone. Then the authors writing, his characters, this world, this magic..brilliant! Patch is thrown in jail after playing(he’s a Piper)a forbidden spell-song to save a village from rats. But there he meets Wren- a noble-girl under a rat-shaped curse-& together they befriend Barver, a fearsome dracogriff(genius!), & set off on a grand adventure filled w/sorcerers, dragons, bandits…& 1 very deadly enemy. This was so fast-paced, & so brilliantly written, that I flew through it. This ragtag group of friends, is the most unlikely found family I’ve ever seen, & I love them all so much. Watching their bond grow was beautiful. This world is so unlike our own in many ways, but the author makes you feel like this place really exists-where dragons have their own government, sorcerers have their dark magic, Pipers make magic w/their music..I found the authors take on the infamous Piper so fascinating! & the twist! Loved it, & never would have guessed. I found the Elite Pipers so intriguing, & all the different levels of pipers & what their special skills were used for.. The Eight & their whole story was also so interesting. Every detail of this book draws you in, & you get more & more engrossed in the story. Great pacing, great world/character/story building. The author is so talented at creating such an amazing story that you care about, & also is so talented at giving you characters that you really fall in love w/and root for w/your whole heart. There’s action, adventure, danger, suspense, friendship, magic, dragons, sorcerers, witches, Pipers, & even humor. When Barver “raises a hand” & says he wants to clarify the rules of engagement.. I laughed so hard.. he definitely has my heart. Wren is also such an amazing character. I love the way they are able to “talk” to her-genius. Patch is also just the best. This story has it all, & the relationship b/n our trio is my favorite thing. Highly recommend! Absolutely beautiful cover by George Ermos too!💜

[Cassandra Hamm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really interesting book with cool music magic and epic characters, from the outcast piper, Patch, to the girl-cursed-to-be-a-rat, Wren, to the dracogriff who loves to sew, Barver. The story wrestles with the question of why the Hamelyn Piper kidnapped all those human children (and, later, dragon children) and what happened to the children. A whole mythology is built around the Eight who captured the Hamelyn Piper, making the world well rounded and interesting. The mystery of obsidiac was fascinating and horrifying. And the audiobook narrator did a fantastic job of bringing this story to life.

My main issue is with my expectations, and, really, everyone’s expectations because of the book’s misleading description.

The description says that the premise of the book is that Patch and the others find out that the Hamelyn Piper was NOT put in prison and that he did NOT die, like everyone thought. Which is a very intriguing premise.

However. You don’t find this out until THE VERY END OF THE BOOK.

Sure, there are hints. But there is nothing concrete until the very end. So there is a very interesting storyline going on with Patch escaping jail and trying to turn Wren back into a human and Barver fulfilling his dragon mother’s last wish. But the whole time, I was like “…when do they find out the Piper is alive????”

If the book premise had described the ACTUAL plot of the book, the pacing wouldn’t have felt so slow because my expectations would’ve been accurate. As it was, I felt like the story hadn’t yet started.

So if you read this book (and I would recommend it), forget that the villain is the Hamelyn Piper. It will help.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars to this glorious middle grade book. It has magical questing (yes, again, I really do love a quest!), a dracogriff, the pied piper of Hamelyn, a cursed girl, and a misguided but brave boy. I mean what’s not to love?

I love the piper mythology, and think the author did a fantastic job of weaving a known story into something more. Plus I love that it’s one I’ve not seen a retelling of before. 💙

I super loved Wren the rat, she is so cute and smart. I am definitely looking forward to seeing hopefully more of her story in the next book. And similarly, for all three of our heroes, given how it ends!

It really is a good story of exploring and a little mystery. My only real criticism is that I thought we may not get all the answers by the end as we don’t start seeing things come through to fruition until pretty close to the end. But we did get them, or enough of them, plus some lovely hints as to the next in the series.

I’m so pleased I picked this up!

[Marilisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great middle grade full of magic and wonder. A young piper, a girl cursed to be a rat, and a dracogriff meet and might end up saving the world, who knows.
I feel like it didn’t shy away from some darker themes, which I rather enjoyed.
I read it in one sitting. only stopping to eat, that’s saying something.

[Kateryna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story about a boy who wants to become a magical piper but ends up being put in jail for playing a forbidden spell song. It‘s a great fun and a fast-paced adventure full of magic, sorcerors and dragons. The book is action-packed with some great characters and a really captivating storyline. I truly enjoyed the progression of the story and every part of the journey. Not once does the journey become boring or too long. Though one star off for a story being left on a big cliffhanger. Anyhow, all round a good read and a great start to a new fantasy series. Can’t wait to see where the adventure goes.

[Pavitra (For The Love of Fictional Worlds) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Also Posted on For The Love of Fictional Worlds

Disclaimer: An ARC was provided via USBorne YA in exchange for an honest review. The Thoughts, opinions & feelings expressed in the review are therefore, my own.

There are times when all you want to do is go back to the uncomplicated reading and stories of our childhood – and I couldn’t believe that I found exactly that and oh so much more in A Darkness of Dragons by S.A. Patrick. 

Based on the Pied Piper of Hamelin; this book, the first in a series; begins with Patch Brightwater, an apprentice Piper who tries to help a village overrun with rats but he does so by using a song that has been banned.

This ends up with him the dungeons of Tiviscan with absolutely no hopes of escaping – when he makes a new friend with a human who has been cursed to live as a rat aka Wren – and is locked up next to the infamous Hamelin Piper – who led the children of humans and dragons alike & no one has ever been able to find them.

Oh did I forget to mention that this retelling of Pied Piper also has dragons living in an uneasy truce with the humans? Oh yes! Does this make this retelling a thousand times better than any other retelling? HECK YASS!! 

When the dragons break the uneasy truce by attacking the dungeons to free the Piper to find out what he has done to dragon children – it means that Patch (and Wren) are able to escape their prison. While they are on the run, they encounter a half dragon, half griffin; A DRACOGRIFF– and that means its adventure time!

I adored everything about this retelling – first let’s say kudos to the author for picking up a fairytale that is not in the mainstream for retelling & second, the writing style of the author just sucks you in – case in point, I am 27 years old; and I read this middle grade book in like 2 days of starting it :D

And the twists and turns just kept coming; and I am so freaking excited to see where the author takes Patch and his friends to!  



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[Sandra || Tabibito no hon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fajne, mogą u nas wydawać

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought for my 8 year old turned out to be a great fun for all family. Waiting for book 2.

[Amina (ⴰⵎⵉⵏⴰ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewing soon! (i hope 😅)

[Blue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED THIS BOOK!
I repeat, I loved this book that much that it was extremely hard to fault anything about it. I finished the book two days ago and over the course of the last two days found nothing I could even nit-pick on. A Darkness of Dragon’s was wonderful! I need more!
Our journey begins with Patch Brightwater, a 12 year old apprentice piper that comes across a village that is over run with rats, and in desperate need of assistance. Eagar to assist, Patch puts his lungs to work and plays a forbidden song that not only leads to the rats to their deaths but the spell had begun to work its magic on the humans! Caught in the act, Patch gets locked up in the dungeons of Tiviscan, with the hope of escaping. Along the grand adventure Patch discovers unusual yet wonderful friends, the need to help those in need and hopes that no one can find out who he is and what crimes he committed. Oh and did I mention that he gets locked in the same dungeon as the Hamelyn piper, a notorious villain that lured children and baby dragons to their deaths??? Can’t forget to tell you about the bad guy can I? After all villains are my favourite!
There are so many fun aspects of this book that I am not even too sure where to start!?! Shall I start with the fact our lead Patch and the fact that he is a piper? I loved it. As much as I love fairy tale retellings it is always based around the following: Beauty and the beast, The Little Mermaid and Alice in Wonderland. Don’t get me wrong, I love retellings. Actually I am obsessed, especially retellings of Peter Pan, I can never get enough. However, in all my years of reading and in all the books I know and own, I have never come across a retelling of the piper and it’s one of the amazing aspects of this book. But not only do we have Patch that is a piper we also have the villain, Hamelyn piper who is a piper as well. Hamelyn piper would have to be based around The Pied Piper of Hamerlin or as most of us would recall, Pan Piper. This legend of the piper dates back to the Middle Ages, where he was hired by a village to lure the rats away with his magic pipe. When the citizens of this village refused to pay for his services, the piper retaliates by luring the children away just has he had done to the rats. Amazing right? See, I told you this book was amazing!
Overall the plot for this book was amazing, I immensely enjoyed the progression of the story and found every part of their journey engaging and fast passed. There was always a twist in the tale, a new character introduced or an old character returning which kept the story lively and left no room for boredom.
Can I start gushing over the characters yet? Wow I loved them all. Bright. Unique. Fine. Beautiful. Classical. Gahhh I loved them!!!
Patch, our leading guys was wonderful. He always would put his best foot forward to help those around him and would go to any length to help his friends and it was delightful. And I can’t get over the friendship that he and Wren share, its sweet, innocent and I put want to put them in bubble wrap and protect them. Adorable!
Wren, not only has a great friendship with Patch, she is also a bright, sweet and delightful character. Wren was cursed to live the remainder of her live out as a rat until she came across Patch and together they face challenges to find out how they can reverse her curse. Their teamwork is inspiring and it really brings into question, how far you will go to help a stranger? I think this is important since you look at modern society and how little humans will lend a hand to help another. When did helping someone turn into a painful chore?
S.A Patrick is a compelling writer. I found his words flowed so well together that I lost track of all time while reading. I was a month to the flame that is Patrick’s words, I’m now addicted and need more.
Overall A Darkness of Dragon’s is a fast-passed, compelling and wonderful book full of pipers, dragons, a crazed villain, sorcerers and bandits. What more could you need?

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Left with many things to ponder

A few words that describe this story are, ‘vibrant’, ‘confused’ and ‘unfinished’. It’s a fun tale, it moves at good pace and the setting of being events the years after the Pied Piper has stolen the children from Hamelyn, is super, but... the title is baffling. If you’re expecting a story about dragons you’ll be sorely disappointed. Apart from a very brief cameo, the only dragon in the story is a dracogriff (half dragon, half griffin) who talks and acts like a human. Our hero is a guy called, Patch who’s a failed piper that gets himself into trouble and thrown in jail, the sam jail and the Hamelyn Piper. Dragons attack and break the jail walls, killing the Hamelyn Piper allowing Patch to escape. Adventure ensues and people turn out not to be who others thought they were. I say that it’s confused because nothing really sits together in any coherent way. Far to much seems to happen by sheer fluke. As the story opens, Patch has no goal at all, certainly nothing that relates to the events at the end of the story (thereby reducing their significance to him). By chance he meets a girl that’s been turned it a rat and, again by chance, meets Barver the dracogriff. mid way through (for no apparent reason other than perhaps to create some tension...) Patch is chucked a prophesy about someone who will betray him. This sort of kicks in later on but not fully. The plot thread with the Hamelyn Piper is not resolved nor are the effects of the prophesy, Patch hasn’t really changed or learned anything and the story finishes with a line about music which, while obliquely relevant to the story, doesn’t really chime with any themes. So it’s fun but a bit confused and directionless and with a misleading title. It’s clearly the first in a planned series, so we can expect resolution of plot lines later but I still feel that a more satisfying arc should have been woven into this first outing.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the definition of an impulse buy. I don't even really know for sure why I bought it. Maybe it was the word dragons. Maybe it was the colorful cover. Maybe the premise that the Piper of Hamelin had something to do with this. Or maybe it was the sticker that my version is signed by the author. But I bought it and I'm so happy I did!

This was a really cute adventure story with a lot of world building that really surprised me. From the very first page the story is gripping and the mythology is explained in very playful ways, without it becoming boring info-drops or slowing the story down. When we travel through the world, we discover new places and new species and new parts of the puzzle and it's presented in a very exciting way. Not once does the journey become boring or too long.

On top of that the characters are quite easy to like. From the main trio to all the side characters, they are all unique and very vivid. I loved how they interacted with each other and how characters were not always as they were presented and therefore very surprising. For a middle grade they were quite layered even and complicated, with flaws and strengths and mistakes they make and learn from.

The only thing I missed was an emotionally and touching moment, but there are two more books in this series (I think?) and who knows what will happen there?

[Danielle Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I've just spent a day reading this from cover to cover. A fabulous tale of magic, sorcerors and dragons, set against a clever re-telling of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. Picked this one up at a book signing, and managed to have a chat with both the author and his son Elias (who "helped"). I'd had recommendations about this being really impressive, but I tend to read quite dark, adult fiction. YA tends to be a bit too "safe" and often patronising, and this is set at 10-11year olds. I was half-expecting something a bit too child-oriented, but in fact I haven't been this gripped by a children's book since I fell under the spell of The Hobbit at 9 years old. In a similar way to that classic, this keeps you turning the pages and wanting to know more about these great characters. Two young teens (a resourceful boy who always tries to do the best, despite many decisions going wrong) and a very complex young lady, become best friends despite torments and perils. They are joined by the only adult in the central trio, but he is a most unusual being indeed.

I've read Seth Patrick's adult horror works, and for me the best bit about his writing is the ability to create novel, fascinating powers and skills which feel realistic despite being outside of our physical laws. Here we have a not quite our world, where the powerful Pipers craft magic with their playing, dragons have a nation and government, and sorcerors sit in remote castles making dark magic. As a book aimed at children, there is obviously no sex nor swearing, but the relationships between the main trio are such strong friendships that this does not matter. It works on a child's level, but also for a cynical adult like me. This book is well worth a read for fantasy lovers of all ages, and to all who enjoy good story-telling. Can't wait for Book 2 next year!

[Frances · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great new series, looking forward to more. Perfect for top juniors that like magical adventures. Lots of peril and lovely characters. Sorry when it finished as I will now have a wait to see what happens next.

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I would give it a 4.5 star but goodreads doesn’t let you do this! 😆

[Weinlachgummi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Angesprochen hat mich hier zunächst das Cover. Mit Drachen kann man mich immer haben. Der Klappentext hat dann sein Übriges getan. Erwartet habe ich von der Geschichte nicht so viel und war dann wirklich positiv überrascht.


Ich mag die Saga vom Rattenfänger von Hamel nicht so wirklich. Als Kind fand ich sie zu düster und auch als Erwachsene ist es keine Geschichte, die ich gerne höre. Trotzdem war ich hier auf die Umsetzung gespannt, besonders weil nun ja noch Drachen zu der Geschichte dazukommen.


Flick ist ein Flötenschüler, hat aber einfach kein Glück. Er hat einen Fehler gemacht und ist nun auf der Flucht, die Ereignisse verketten sich und ehe er sich versieht, sitzt er neben dem berüchtigten Rattenfänger im Gefängnis. Und als wäre dies nicht schon schlimm genug, greifen auch noch die Drachen an um den Rattenfänger ein für alle Mal aus dem Gefecht zuziehen. Wie gesagt, der arme Flick ist nicht vom Glück gesegnet.


Dafür aber mit Freunden, die er im Laufe der Geschichte sammelt. So ergibt sich dann eine bunte Truppe. Besonders mochte ich hier den Drachengreif. Er hat für einige witzige Szenen gesorgt. Verschlungen habe ich die Geschichte innerhalb von zwei Tagen. Der Schreibstil ist sehr locker und die Geschichte von Flick wird spannend erzählt. Sodass ich gar nicht mehr aufhören wollte zu lesen.

Angesetzt ist die Empfehlung ab 10 Jahren, da bin ich mir nicht so sicher. An manchen Stellen fand ich die Geschichte schon ein bisschen brutal bzw. die Gewalt gegenüber Tieren nicht so schön. Aber dies gehörte einfach zur Geschichte und die Saga vom Rattenfänger ist ja auch keine harmonische Geschichte.

Für Erwachsene oder etwas ältere Leser auf jeden Fall eine Leseempfehlung. Noch zu erwähnen, es ist Band 1 einer Reihe, das Buch endet zwar nicht mit einem Cliffhanger, aber es sind noch einige Sachen offen. So bin ich sehr gespannt auf Band 2 und hoffe wir müssen nicht all zulange warten.

[Lloyd Piper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am somewhat new to reading this year, and this is one of the first books that I have read with no preexisting background to it (ie a previous movie/tv show which I could draw from).

I read this book to 2 of my children each night for a couple of weeks and I must say that I absolutely loved it! Infact I more than loved it!! It was brilliant! I found myself gasping aloud, smirking, and really feeling a range of emotions reading this book, which was an experience I have never really felt before when reading. I was entranced with the world that was created by the author. The characters are really interesting and the plot was fantastic! 10/10 or 5 stars from me! Excellently written and a great world which I was fully immersed in! Can't wait for the rest of the series coming out early 2021!

[Dreximgirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. The characters were amazing and I was rooting for every one of them, the plot was clever and kept me guessing and the whole thing was a pleasure to read. Cannot wait to read more about Patch, Wren and Barver's adventures.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Darkening of Dragons is a fantastic retelling of the legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, I think most people are familiar with the tale of the pied piper who tried to save a village from a rat infestation and upon being tricked out of what he was owed, returned and stole the villager's children. The legend never really explained what happened to the children after that but was most likely a cautionary tale. It's a legend that I haven't had an opportunity to read any books about before, and I've certainly not read one involving a condemned criminal, a cursed rat and a dracogriff, but my what a fantastic story this was.

Patch Brightwater is an interesting main character, his heart is genuinely in the right place, and I quite enjoyed his eagerness to use his pipe skills to help rather than in battle as the piper's council had wanted him to. He's also motivated by a strong survival skill, wanting to escape the disgrace that the notorious Piper of Hamelyn caused when he carried the children and a hundred young dragons away with his songs, refusing to tell anyone why or what he did with them. Patch is so easy to adore, especially when he gets all protective of Wren, our cursed rat, and how he would even sacrifice himself in order to save her. Wren was also a delight, despite facing a lifetime as a rat, she had a bright outlook, was super smart and had a wit to boot. I loved how the author included a form of nonverbal sign language of hand signs, or Merisax as a way for them to communicate with one another, and the game of Fox and Owls was interesting, I just wish the rules for the game would have been explained more.

Lastly there's Barver, the dracogrif, who rounds out the trio of outcasts pretty well. He's also pretty protective of Wren and she has a huge soft spot for him as well. They make for a lovely team and I'd certainly like to see where their adventures take them next. Overall, I quite enjoyed A Darkening of Dragons, there was plenty of twists and turns, lots of adventuring, danger, an especially nasty villain, themes that incorporated music and seeing someone else's perspective, not letting fear lead to hate. How it's important to be able to sympathize with others.

[Anjana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very promising first book in a series for children, maybe one of the better ones I have tried in the last few years. I could appreciate it as an adult and also felt that the pieces would work well for children as well.
The story leans a lot on to the lore of the Pied Piper and the 'magic' that he wields. Our story begins with one piper trying to rid a town of giant rats. He ends up using a forbidden song. On top of various other things, the latter part leads our protagonist into very hot water. He is a good boy who had many dreams but wanted to use his natural piping skills for the best reasons. His punishment coincides with the revenge of the dragons.
The combination of events has him on a chase to uncover some truths, save his skin and maybe help others in the process. He is assisted by some unique people. There is a vein of humour running through the entire book. The jokes are not very obvious but not too subtle to escape the attention of certain discerning children.
The characters were all realistic. Some of them lied, made mistakes, but they all learn and grow and try to do better whenever they realise what they were doing. It is not done in a preachy way.
I read this book in one sitting because I wanted to see where the story went. There were some parts that I expected and some others that I didn't. There was also one part that I thought I saw coming, was misdirected only to find out that I was right the first time. None of which bothered me much.
I would like to continue with the series if I get the chance.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

[Elise Edmonds · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a great book and would highly recommend it for younger readers. The plot was excellent and had a few twists and turns. A great adventure.

It also fits into the retelling genre - it's kind of a motivation/what happened next for the Pied Piper of Hamelyn and the thought the world invented around that tale was really good.

Personally, the book was a little on the young side for me. It felt very middle-grade in terms of character development and pace, and my preference is for at least young adult. Having said that, I would still be interested to read the next book in the series.

The story was complete, but there were a couple of loose ends left where I would be interested to find out what happens next.

[N.R. Eccles-Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Initially drawn in by the cover and an interesting premise, I was quickly swept up in a fascinating and clever story. Imaginative, adventurous, and with an unforgettable cast of main characters (whose quirks and dynamics were an absolutely delight to follow) this book is filled with all the fun, interesting, and fantastical things one comes to anticipate from a fantasy adventure.
I was particularly impressed by the magic system; revolving around music and layered Songs used to manipulate energy and cast spells. I can't wait to continue the adventure with Patch, Wren, and Barver.
I would recommend this story to anyone who loves solid and imaginative upper middle-grade epic fantasy!

[Lyndsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

okay I’m not usually one for middle-grades but I ate this shit up, it was so much fun!! I already called my library to see if they have the second book available cause I am invested now <3

Loved the characters and the quest aspect of this story. It actually had more violence than I expected from a middle-grade and it definitely didn’t shy away from some of the more “darker” themes, which was a plus for me (still kept it PG enough to be middle-grade/ya though).

Overall, this was a really fun read and I will definitely be reading the rest of this series!

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is magic in music. Listen....

Our November kids book of the month.
Patch Brightwater is a young piper who is thrown into prison for a very very long time, for playing forbidden spells on his pipe, it's the same prison that holds the evil piper of Hamelyn.
When the prison walls are attacked by dragons Patch discovers that the prisoner in the mask is not the piper of Hamelyn and that the real piper is on the loose.
Patch manages to escape the ruins of the prison, and hoping that the custodians believe him dead sets off on a quest to help his friend Wren - who has been cursed by a sorcerer to live her life as a rat.

[VERITY · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this. My 8 year old read it and enjoyed it immensely, even more than the first two Harry Potter books. We were intrigued and both read it. The characters are well written and there is lots of l suspense. A really clever idea to base it on a fairy tale too.

[Jen Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this aloud to my 8 and 9 year old and they loved it! Especially son. This was a very well written book, and I’m usually quite picky when it comes to children’s and YA. This book was clever, word-building, and the author created well developed characters. I can’t wait to read the sequels!

[William Stafford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once in a while you come across a book you know you’re going to love right from the opening scene. The first of a trilogy this fantasy adventure puts an original spin on the aftermath of the crimes of the Pied Piper of Hamelyn. The main characters are endearing, the antagonist terrifying, and there is a darkness beyond the collective noun in the title. Wonderful!

[Fay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barber is the best boy and I love that Griffin/Dragon hybrid.
This is definitely a series I would like to continue, a reimagining of the Peid Piper tale with magic, dragons and darkness! Also, a signing rat-girl. So that's cool!